Why Victor Wembanyama, Spurs Are Pumping the Brakes on Playoff Talk

SAN ANTONIO — A quantifiable goal never existed for the San Antonio Spurs until Victor Wembanyama spoke it into existence.

It had only been a few weeks of practice. Wembanyama, sitting in a chair almost too small for his 7-foot-4 frame, made clear his expectations: San Antonio was to make the playoffs while skipping the Play-In Tournament altogether.

"So, I guess that means the sixth seed," he said.

Wembanyama's teammates were quick to pile on. It had been six seasons since the franchise had qualified for the postseason and eight since it won a playoff series. Behind Wembanyama, their chances were substantially larger.

Still, those inside the doors of Victory Capital Performance Center might have been the only ones in tune with what the Spurs were capable of.

Thirty games into the regular season, San Antonio has sole possession of the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. It boasts the longest active win streak in the NBA and has convincingly handed the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder more losses in 13 days (3) than the rest of the league has combined (2).

In the grand scheme of the Spurs' lofty aspirations, none of those achievements serve as more than stepping stones or boxes checked.

Dec 25, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) dunks over Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jalen Williams (8) during the second quarter at Paycom Center. | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

"We're focused on the rest of the season," Wembanyama said. "We're not even halfway through. I'm not even sure it's smart to think so far into the future."

As much as the evidence may point to the contrary, the Spurs are human.

They can't help but acknowledge the feat they've accomplished in a short span that has caught the attention of every other team in the NBA. What matters, to them, is how they respond to that narrative and its connotations.

"The way that we've won these games ... that's what we're happy about," De'Aaron Fox said, citing two more matchups with the Thunder this season. "We continue to focus on ourselves. It's five games out of 82. We're not worried about those more than others."

By prioritizing internal growth, the Spurs have learned how to make use of minutes without their stars. Cycling between playing without De'Aaron Fox, who will be absent Saturday evening against the Utah Jazz; Dylan Harper; Stephon Castle; and Wembanyama helped them make game-by-game adjustments.

Mitch Johnson's squad also fueled itself. The Spurs claim the highest volume of film intake — a byproduct of missing several major pieces — and use it to discover ways to leverage opposing teams' weaknesses. That worked against the Thunder.

Season low 22 points for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander today. #Spurs talked a lot about these close-proximity games helping with familiarity. Seems the team found a way to slow him down. #PorVida
— Matt Guzman (@mattgzman) December 25, 2025

San Antonio held Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to a season-low 22 points in the two teams' third matchup on Christmas Day after harping on keeping him off the free-throw line. It took care of the basketball to prevent Oklahoma City from settling into its game plan.

"That was a big emphasis for us," Stephon Castle said.

Wembanyama gave his team due credit for its execution.

"Most of our guys are coachable," the Frenchman said. "That can just be super beneficial in growing into something great. We're trying to build ... get even better. We're trying to make that our trademark and sustain it over a long season."

Dec 25, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) smiles after a play against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second half at Paycom Center. | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

San Antonio's efforts have paid off through the first quarter of the season — a stark contrast to the two iterations of the team Wembanyama also spearheaded.

The 21-year-old has long been addicted to winning, but he hasn't received much of a fix. The science still perplexes him a little bit.

"Each game is so intense," Wembanyama admitted before motioning to his head. "It takes so much from you that the reward is just incredible. I don't know what molecules in the brain (it affects), but it just feels incredible."

These days, the Spurs enjoy coming in to work. Smiling, laughing and occasional roughhousing aren't uncommon sights to see in practice; winning, of course, makes it easier to deal with the rigorous day-to-day schedule of the NBA.

"Winning is a symptom of everything that happens behind closed doors," Wembanyama said. "We know we're going to have fun. We know we're going to go out there and produce competitive basketball. We just feel lucky, and we want to entertain this."

Dec 25, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Keldon Johnson (3) celebrates after scoring against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second half at Paycom Center. | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

The Spurs will continue focusing on themselves, even if they fall from the No. 2 seed. They know better than most what can happen to a team having a bad week in the West. It's why they seldom speak in numbers.

Fox gave it a go on Christmas, anyway, careful not to get ahead of himself.

"It's usually those top-four seeds that are truly the contenders," he said. "We're not thinking about what's going to happen at the end of the year. We look at whatever team is in front of us, and we try to win that game."

The Spurs' internal expectations haven't changed since they stepped foot in the practice facility for training camp in September. After a quarter of the season, their quantifiable figure may have been adjusted; it was always subject to change.

"The goal is the same," Wembanyama said. "Getting into the playoffs right away after 82 games. We don’t skip steps, and now we can aim higher and higher because we checked those boxes … now we can aim for the very top of the conference.”

San Antonio, sitting pretty in the top of the West, is enjoying the view down below. It's earned it. But it hasn't done anything yet.

Until it does, it'll keep on the brakes all the way to the postseason.

"Those are three big wins for us against a great team that just won The Finals," Dylan Harper said of beating the Thunder prior to facing the Jazz. "Going into this game, we're still keeping the same intensity and level of focus as we did in those games."